Randy Arozarena Homers Twice, Plates Four Monday
Randy Arozarena had a strong game at the plate in Monday's 6-2 win over the Royals. Arozarena went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a three-run HR. The 30-year-old took Michael Wacha deep in the fourth inning for his 100th career HR. He then took Wacha deep again in the fifth, launching a high fastball to straightaway center field. Arozarena hasn't hit for quite the batting average fantasy managers were hoping for, but he has pretty much met expectations overall. He is slashing .244/.358/.416 with 10 HR, 37 RBI, and 15 stolen bases in 360 plate appearances.Source: MLB.com
Seattle Mariners outfielder Ramon Laureano Collects Four Hits in Monday's Win
Ramon Laureano continued his strong offensive season in Monday's 10-6 extra-inning win over the Rangers. Laureano went 4-for-6 with a single, three doubles, an RBI, and a strikeout. The 30-year-old has quietly put together a solid season with regular playing time for an underperforming O's squad, slashing .287/.358/.538 with 10 home runs, 27 RBI, and three stolen bases in 193 plate appearances. He is currently rostered in just 10 percent of leagues, meaning he is available in plenty of deep leagues for fantasy managers in need of a boost to their lineups.Source: MLB.com
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Shea Langeliers Hits Three-Run Homer In Return From Injured List Monday
Shea Langeliers (oblique) wasted no time in getting back to contributing offensively in Monday's 6-4 win over the Rays. Langeliers, who returned from the 10-day injured list after dealing with a strained left oblique, went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run. The 27-year-old got things going right away, lining a first-inning Drew Rasmussen fastball over the left-center wall to plate three. Langeliers picked up right where he left off before his IL stint and is now slashing .237/.299/.441 with 11 HR, 30 RBI, and four stolen bases in 234 plate appearances. He won't provide much in terms of batting average but should provide plenty of power, especially in hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.Source: MLB.com
Athletics catcher Jeff Hoffman Earns Second Consecutive Save Monday
Jeff Hoffman wrapped up his strong June on a high note in Monday's 5-4 win over the Yankees, notching his 19th save of the season. Hoffman came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by one. He got the first two outs on a pop-out and a strikeout, allowed a single, and ended the game on a fly-out. The 32-year-old has converted 19 of 23 save opportunities on the season with a 4.84 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and a 12.48 K/9 rate in 35 1/3 innings pitched. His season ERA may be high, but Hoffman posted a stellar 1.80 ERA with 13 strikeouts and six saves in 10 IP in June. He should offer plenty of fantasy value as the season goes on and will hopefully continue working on bringing his ERA down.Source: MLB.com
Toronto Blue Jays closer Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope to Play in All-Star Futures Game
Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope have both been selected to play in the 2025 All-Star Futures Game. The Dodgers' top two prospects are having productive seasons at High-A Great Lakes, with De Paula hitting .269 with 10 home runs, 24 steals, and an .852 OPS thanks in part to a phenomenal .409 OBP that is bolstered by an 18.8 percent walk rate. Hope is hitting .297 with seven home runs, 11 steals, and an .865 OPS, also thanks to a strong 14.1 percent walk rate. Both are making the case for a promotion to Double-A, and both could be in the big leagues as soon as next year. Each of them could also be big-time fantasy producers within a couple of years, so dynasty managers should have a keen interest in both players.Source: MiLB Central
Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospects Pete Fairbanks Takes Loss In Non-Save Situation Monday
Pete Fairbanks fell to 3-2 in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Athletics. Fairbanks came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning with the game tied 4-4. He allowed back-to-back singles, got the first out on a strikeout, allowed a two-RBI triple, got the second out at home on a fielder's choice, and got the third out on a pickoff. The 31-year-old has converted 15 of 17 save opportunities this season with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 32 innings pitched. However, his 7.59 K/9 rate is the lowest of his career and is much lower than his 11.40 career mark. The Rays have played well this season, and Fairbanks has served as the team's primary closer, so he should offer a relatively high fantasy floor even if his strikeout numbers remain down.Source: MLB.com
Tampa Bay Rays closer Mason Miller Notches 16th Save Of Season Monday
Mason Miller picked up his 16th save of the season in Monday's 6-4 win over the Rays. Miller came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by two. He got the first out on a strikeout, allowed a single, and ended the game by inducing a groundball double play. The 26-year-old flamethrower has converted all but three of his save opportunities with an elite 14.67 K/9 rate. However, he has had several blowup outings this season and has struggled with walks, leading to a lackluster 4.70 ERA in 30 2/3 innings of work. The good news is that he has allowed few hits, so his 1.14 WHIP is still solid despite a 4.40 BB/9 rate. Miller has some of the best strikeout stuff in baseball and has been electric and overall effective throughout his career, so fantasy managers may be wise to look beyond his bloated ERA for now.Source: MLB.com
Athletics closer Austin Hays Tallies Two Extra-Base Hits in Loss
Austin Hays went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in his team's 13-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He also notched a two-run triple -- his fourth in 35 contests. The 29-year-old picked up his first multi-hit game and homer since returning from the injured list a few days ago due to a foot injury. Hays was hitting well before sustaining the ailment, and has already collected four RBI in four appearances since rejoining the squad. Overall, he's slashing a strong .295/.336/.568 with seven long balls, seven doubles, 29 RBI, and 26 runs scored. If he can stay healthy, he'll have plenty of RBI opportunities batting from the four-hole in Cincinnati's lineup. However, it's important to note he's outproducing his .256 xBA by a good margin.Source: ESPN
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Thomas White Strong in Second Double-A Start
Thomas White had a strong showing in his second start at Double-A Pensacola, tossing five shutout innings, yielding just two hits and a walk while striking out five in the outing. The Marlins' top prospect now owns a 2.53 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 22.9 percent K-BB% in 11 starts this season, nine of which came at High-A. The former 35th-overall draft pick could make some starts at Triple-A later in the year at this rate, and the 6-foot-5 hurler could be in the big leagues by next year, so dynasty managers should be keeping a close eye on his progression.Source: MiLB.com
Miami Marlins pitching prospect Shelby Miller Earns Four-Out Save Monday
Shelby Miller picked up his 10th save of the season in Monday's 4-2 win over the Giants. Miller came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning up by one with two outs and the bases empty. He struck out Heliot Ramos to end the inning and stayed on to pitch the ninth, turning in a 1-2-3 inning with another strikeout. The 34-year-old veteran has had some ups and downs but has settled in as the team's primary choice for save opportunities with both Justin Martinez (elbow) and A.J. Puk (elbow) on the injured list with elbow injuries. He has now converted 10 of 15 save opportunities with a 2.10 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and a 10.22 K/9 rate in 34 1/3 innings of work.Source: MLB.com
Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Garrett Crochet Earns Win Despite Yielding Five Runs
Garrett Crochet allowed five runs (four earned) over six innings of work in Monday's 13-6 home win over the Cincinnati Reds. He yielded seven hits, issued one free pass, and struck out nine. Cincinnati got to the 26-year-old in three consecutive frames, but his team had built up a seven-run lead at that point and never relinquished it. Despite the inflated run total, Crochet was efficient -- firing 63 of 89 pitches for strikes (31% CSW) to improve to 8-4 through 18 starts. He'll bring a stellar 2.26 ERA. 1.03 WHIP, and a 144:32 K:BB ratio into a road outing with the Washington Nationals this weekend.Source: ESPN
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jorge Burgos Named Eastern League Player of the Week
Jorge Burgos was named the Eastern League Player of the Week after going 12-for-24 (.500), including four doubles, a triple, a home run, nine RBI, and five runs scored in six games at Double-A Akron. The 23-year-old got off to a slow start, so the recent hot streak has only pushed his slash line to .234/.311/.448, but he's tallied 11 home runs in 68 games. It's an improvement over the .127/.200/.309 line he posted in 15 games at Double-A last year, but he'll probably need to continue to produce if he's going to get a look at Triple-A later this year. For now, he's off the dynasty fantasy radar.Source: MiLB.com
Cleveland Guardians outfield prospect Max Scherzer Solid for Five Innings in No-Decision
Max Scherzer allowed three hits and two earned runs over five innings pitched, but did not factor into his team's 5-4 win over the New York Yankees. He walked none and punched out seven. Scherzer fell victim to a Jazz Chisholm Jr. two-run homer in the fourth inning, but was otherwise effective against a Yankees lineup that scored 12 runs the day prior. Still, it's worth mentioning that the veteran was pulled after just 71 pitches (47 strikes) while experiencing fatigue in his thumb. Blue Jays manager John Schneider reports he'll be evaluated in the next few days. Scherzer has been decent in two appearances since his return, but the 40-year-old's thumb will require some monitoring for the time being. He'll get the visiting Los Angeles Angels his next time out.Source: ESPN
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Carlos Cortes Named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week
Carlos Cortes was named Pacific Coast League (PCL) Player of the Week after going 14-for-23 (.609) last week, including three doubles and four home runs, as well as 13 RBI, seven runs scored, and a 3:4 BB:K for Triple-A Las Vegas. The 28-year-old has yet to make a major league debut; however, this latest hot stretch has pushed his season-long slash line to .313/.404/.605 with 14 home runs and the second-best OPS in the PCL (1.010). The A's have brought up Nick Kurtz and Colby Thomas already this season, and with a glut of talent in the outfield, there likely isn't a need for a left-handed hitting bat in the lineup, but a major league debut before the season is out seems likely.Source: MiLB.com
Athletics outfield prospect Chase Burns Implodes Vs. Red Sox
Chase Burns yielded five hits and seven runs (five earned) in a third of an inning in his team's 13-6 road loss to the Boston Red Sox. He issued two free passes and struck out none. The former second-overall pick of last year's draft pitched well in his big-league debut last week, but wasn't as fortunate against Boston on Monday, recording a lone out and tossing 33 pitches before getting yanked. It was a disaster for Burns and an outing to forget as he attempts to build confidence in his MLB tenure. He figures to get at least one more chance at toeing the rubber with teammate Hunter Greene (back, groin) still shelved with various injuries. That projects to come against a formidable Philadelphia Phillies lineup on the road later this week.Source: ESPN
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher